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Rescued fur seal dies despite Vancouver vets' efforts

In this file photo, a few weeks old rare albino South American fur seal (Arctocephalus australis) sits on its mother "Harimee", whose fur has the normal color, at the zoo in Dortmund, Germany, Friday, July 20, 2012. (AP Photo / dapd, Tim Schulz)

The Canadian Press
Published Thursday, January 28, 2016 3:25PM EST

VANCOUVER - An adult male fur seal found on a British Columbia beach, thousands of kilometres from its southern California home, has died despite the best efforts of veterinarians.

Vancouver Aquarium vet Martin Haulena says the emaciated Guadalupe fur seal rallied for a few days after being found on a west coast Vancouver Island beach a week ago, but died early Wednesday.

He says it suffered internal bleeding, which is a common complication for marine mammals found stranded and starving.

Guadalupe fur seals are usually found off the coast of Baja, Calif., and are listed as threatened in the United States.

Haulena has said the warm currents of El Nino may be behind the recent strandings of such seals and another animal rarely seen in Canadian waters.

A green sea turtle is responding to treatment after being rescued from a beach on Vancouver Island's Pacific Rim National Park on Saturday, just two days after the fur seal was found around the same area.